Phoenix 2: VENDETTA
by MaxDark
Summary: As Jacob and Rachel Hood dive further into Geppetto's organisation they uncover a plan that is undeniably dangerous. On their rush for revenge they not only find true love but also learn the meaning of not having backup.


**The Eleventh Hour (CBS): Phoenix (part 2)**

"Hello Mrs. Sinton, we received your orders down in the kitchens about you wanting the continental breakfast for two brought to your suite? I'm sorry but that order will slightly be delayed," came the terrible voice of Calypso, a twisted demented woman with a sneer upon her face and a heavily silenced gun in her hands. Before she could do anything Rachel was picked up from behind and as she struggled uselessly to get away she glanced into a mirror to see none other than Jacob Hood holding her and trying to pin her down, the sight left her heartbroken as she turned back to see Calypso, holding in her arms a premature baby girl. The predicament left her sobbing uncontrollably, she had lost her baby, her love, her life, nothing mattered anymore, her world was empty now. She could only greet death as she watched the shadow of an arm raise a scalpel and bring it down upon her heart again and again. As she lay there she looked up to see the person pulling the scalpel out only to repeat the process anew with a malicious grin. As she slipped unconscious she heard her attacker's words.

"Did you really think I loved you?"

********************

"Rachel! RACHEL!!" came a voice from somewhere distant.

'No! NO!!" cried Rachel as her world faded out revealing the face of Jacob Hood, "Get away from me you creep!" she screamed at him as she ran for the door, only to be pulled back by Jacob.

"Rachel, it's all right, nothings going to hurt you, I'm here now, it's okay, it was just a bad dream," soothed Jacob, brushing her hair with his fingers as he held her.

"I saw her, she had our baby…and-…and-…you-…you had a knife and you-," she could no longer hold back her sobs and crying broke away from Jacob's grasp, running into the bathroom and locking the door. Jacob just sat on the bed stunned at what he had just heard about from her nightmare, he slowly approached the door, gently knocking he softly spoke hoping she'd hear him, "Rachel, I'd never do anything to hurt you, please, I'll never leave your side, I'll be there for you."

For the next hour Jacob just lay on the bed facing the wall before him. He was so deep in thought that he was unaware of the bathroom door opening or the footsteps of Rachel across the room, only when she lay down next to him with her face facing his did he stir.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted," she said softly.

"It's not your fault, it must have been a terrifying nightmare," Hood breathed softly. "How about I make it up to you?" he whispered gently even though they were alone. Seeing him reaching into a pocket of his coat made Rachel shiver remembering her dream, tears began streaming down her face remembering it. As Jacob pulled his hand from his pocket she saw three things that fit together well for her, one, a diamond, two, a ring, and three, the man of her dreams offering it to her. "Will you special agent Rachel Young…marry me?" Hearing those words Rachel's tears soon became tears of happiness. It felt like all the affection she had for him was welling up inside her, threatening to burst with each passing moment.

Throwing her arms around him she whispered, "Did you really think you had to ask?"

"Why don't you read the inscription on the diamond? Here, just hold it up to the light and look at it," he said, handing it to her along with a magnifying glass. The inscription looked magical upon the diamond background, reading the inscription on the gem she read.

"To Rachel, You are the beat of my heart, You are the light in the dark, We shall never be too far apart, I'll be by your side always, Together in life, Forever in death," she cried with joy reading this. "I love you Jacob Hood."

"And I love you Rachel Young."

"No, not Rachel Young," she said correcting him, "Rachel Hood."

"What's your boss going to say?" (clock 9)

"How about (clock 10)…You may now kiss the bride?" she said grinning. (clock 11) (credits)

********************

" Come on, that's right make your first steps," cooed Diana as she watched a small girl with dark blood red hair walk across the floor, the child was a clone of her former mentor Lea Muller.

"Diana how-," Kal Dakaro broke off his words as he watched his young daughter try to walk, "Diana, we have to go soon, Geppetto promises that as soon as we get there we can go look for a suitable home for her."

Diana sighed as he said those last words, "It's going to be so hard to let her go, just when she made her first steps too."

"When all this is over, we'll be a family again, but now we just don't have the time or money to take care of her," said Kal, hoping that everything would go right, if they succeeded, their little girl would be able to grow up with the entire world as her plaything, nothing could be more suiting for a child with such high expectations.

"I believe you Kal, it's just so hard," sighed Diana as she watched her fiancée as he gazed upon their daughter. Her fiancées ear length black hair wee kept and better suiting him than any other hair color.

"Please Diana, don't show any weakness now, if Geppetto knew you were letting down your guard she'd get rid of you," demanded Kal, "I don't think I'd be able to make it without you."

"Okay, after all this is over we'll be a family again, promise me you'll never leave me."

"I promise Diana," responded Kal as he picked up his daughter, smiling as he saw her legs were still moving as if she could still walk. "When all this is over Diana, I promise."

********************

"So where do we start?' asked Jacob.

"You're the scientist you think of a place," responded Rachel.

"You were the one who had the idea," stated Jacob.

"Oh come on!" sighed an exasperated Rachel as Jacob laughed at her predicament.

"Why don't we take the scenic route?" he asked.

Turning onto a dirt road Rachel sighed, "I never really noticed how much we've changed since the first time we met."

"Yah, I guess I used to really keep to myself didn't I?"

"I'm not exactly miss-tough-stuff anymore, so we're both different from who we were a long time ago."

"You've still got a really bad sweet tooth," he smiled as she swatted at him.

"Shut up about that," she retorted smiling, "you're never going to let that die are you?"

"No," Jacob replied smiling.

"Great, I have nothing to bug you about do I?" she said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Jacob as he noticed a smile creep onto Rachel's face.

"Oh, nothing, nothing except how you like to crawl around in air vents and like to get together with scientists to look through garbage for mercury," she answered laughing.

"Its not as bad as it looks," retorted Jacob.

"Ha! So you admit that you like it," responded Rachel laughing to herself as she saw her companion's face contort like it always did when he was in thought.

"How did I ever end up with you," sighed Jacob jokingly as he couldn't think up anything else to say.

"Admit it, you love it when I'm annoying," said Rachel smiling as she waited for his answer.

"I already admitted something to you how much more do you want?" replied an exasperated Jacob as Rachel laughed at his predicament.

"Just keep going tiger," she replied.

********************

As the day progressed Rachel kept driving along what seemed to be an endless mountain road with cherry blossom trees planted every few meters along the side. Looking to her right she noticed Jacob tapping away at the cars computer equipment. "I thought the FBI locked us out," she said.

"Yah, but what the FBI don't know won't hurt them, well it will but-," he was cut off from his logical report on what he'd just said by a questioning Rachel.

"You're hacking into the FBI's security grid aren't you?"

"Well, hackers are actually the good people who hack into systems for the government and it's all legal; cracker is the more correct term for people who hack illegally into a system."

"So you're cracking the system then?"

"Yes."

"I could lose my job if they find out."

"They already made it clear they don't want us going after Geppetto's organization, so you've really already lost your job temporarily."

"What are you looking for?"

"This," replied Jacob as he tapped a button while Rachel watched as the screen flooded with information that consisted of a large informational page with the second line stating the words:

"New Age Macrocosm Entity," stated Rachel reading the title. "Macrocosm?" she inquired to her partner.

"It's Greek for 'universe' or 'the great world'," he answered.

"It's a non-governmental and illegal syndicate working towards a more world wide goal," read Rachel with a look of curiosity and worry on her face. "Jacob, could Geppetto's-," she began asking before she was cut off by Jacob's all-too-ready answer.

"She's not working for money to use for an early retirement like most criminals, she wants the money to begin a whole new idea, and one that could endanger lives across the world," stated Jacob. Rachel read on as Jacob sat back in his seat with his face once more revealing that he was in deep thought about something. After about five minutes Rachel gained her facial expression of curiosity again.

"Operation MainFreeze?" worded Rachel aloud before continuing the paragraph, after a few more lines she quickly got her companion's attention, "Jacob! You might want to see this."

"Operation MainFreeze is the documented name given to the secret project created by non-governmental crime syndicate N.A.M.E., MainFreeze is an operation with severe outcomes, the continued work against the operation was dismissed after realizing that the syndicate did not have enough money to begin such a tremendous plan. All known informants on this information are now in closed locations that can not be given," read Jacob.

"Great, we've got nothing," said Rachel.

"Wrong, we know a great deal from one little fact."

"And that would be?"

"Geppetto's been cloning people to get money so that she can begin trying to take over the world."

"Is that even possible?"

"If Geppetto is smart enough to handle it than yes, but controlling the Earth would be straining, the numerous responsibilities would break the most hardened man to the point of him being declared mentally unstable."

"Why Jacob? Geppetto doesn't care for other people, why would she want the world?"

"Oh my God, Rachel you're a genius."

"I already know that," she replied with a smile, a smile which was quickly whipped away as her companion finished his theory.

"Geppetto's trying to restart the world, create a world without economy; anyone would want that, she's trying to destroy the progress we humans have made."

*******************

"Miss Geppetto they are ready for you now," came the voice of a man near a door. The man had recently exited the room beyond it. Without so much as a sign she had heard him she walked through the door to arrive in a small yet wide meeting room.

"Geppetto can we be assured the success of Operation MainFreeze upon your part?" asked a small man with a greasy looking black mullet and pasty skin.

"If you are unsure of my capability then I am propelled to remind you Mr. Carloff that I am head of this organization and am completely capable of planning out an operation, but as you are unsure than my student Lucifer will be happy to show you the plan," she said as the man addressed as Carloff stood up and followed the figure of Lucifer out of the room. A few seconds later there was a sound of gunfire. "Are there any more objections?" No one at the table replied yes, they were as cold as Geppetto; they had not even so much as looked around when the gunshot had fired signaling the death of an operative. Lucifer returned to the room and walked to Geppetto's side, a series of talking took place. "Dump him in the river, his problems are all behind him now," said Geppetto with out even a hint that she herself had found her own joke funny.

As Lucifer left the room to continue with his tasks the conversations resumed, after only an hour the conversation was ended and Geppetto exited to an elevator with Lucifer already there and waiting, after they had reached the ground they had exited the building. Lucifer opened a car door while his mentor climbed into the back, before Lucifer closed the door Geppetto spoke to him, "I want you to follow Dr. Jacob Hood, make sure you find out how much he uncovers and if he finds out to much kill him, oh and Lucifer."

Yes?"

"Make Dr. Hood's death humiliating for him."

"I look forward to it." As he watched his mentor being driven away by the driver of the black sedan he touched his fingers to his head set, "begin the phoenix project, I'll be there in thirteen minutes."

********************

"Jacob, wake up," called Rachel trying again to wake the sleeping scientist up. She though for a few minutes before talking into his ear as he slept, "Mom's throwing out the chemistry set," she laughed as he shot up in bed and began running to the door before he realized. He turned to look at Rachel with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said.

"Yes I am, Mom isn't throwing out your chemistry set," she said with a smirk on her face.

"You're going to be the death of me," he said crouching down to sit next to her.

"Not in a million years," she replied kissing him on the cheek before smiling and laughing to herself, "But I don't know if I can say the same about the chemistry set," she said before laughing.

"I need to get out of scientist mode in the mornings don't I?" he asked with a smile.

"No, because now I know how to wake you up in the mornings when we're married."

"Oh no!" he exclaimed exasperated as she smiled to herself.

"Well, your up so lets get moving," she said before getting up to go take a shower, but before she could start walking Jacob grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed laughing as he ran to the bathroom. "Come on! You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed exasperated and laughing.

"Afraid not," he called back. Rachel walked to the balcony of their hotel room and looked out at the park next to the hotel, even her trained eyes couldn't pick up anything out of the usual as a figure slipped from view behind a line of trees. The sky was getting lighter from the additional house and street lights turning on, it was too early for the sun to rise, but by now most early risers were beginning to move about.

After the morning routine was finished for the two they took a walk over to an open picnic table next to the gazebo where a band was playing. They ordered some drinks and watched as the sun continued its slow climb over the building tops, after five minutes of doing this they watched as a round black man by the name of Felix Lee came into view and joined them at the table.

"Doc, Agent Young," said Felix greeting them.

"Hello agent Lee," replied Rachel as she made sure to catch her companion's eye.

"I got Felix to help us out a bit," responded Jacob.

"So here I am, what have you been up to, never mind I've already got my information," said the ever smiling agent Lee.

"What?" came the questioning voices of both Rachel and Jacob.

"You two usually sit across from each other, and here you're sitting beside each other," replied Felix.

"It's just because it makes it easier to protect him," replied a calm Rachel.

"If you weren't hiding something you would have said something more like it was to watch the sun or something."

"It was that too," added Jacob.

"And you two wouldn't both be working so hard to get me to believe something isn't up," stated Felix, "I can tell you two are hiding something and from what I've now just heard you two are a couple."

"Maybe," replied Jacob only to get Felix laughing at his reply.

"Could we just get to business," came the voice of Rachel.

"Sure, I found a crime scene by the river at the Deep-Wells Bridge about three blocks south of here, some poor guy's body washed up, no identification, and the body was eaten at by the fish, there isn't enough intact body or body that hasn't gone rotten to be used for DNA recognition," stated Felix.

"That's all we need to know to be able to guess who's behind this,' replied Rachel.

"Geppetto," added Felix much to the surprise of his two fellows.

"That wasn't on wikipedia too was it?"

"No, more like on files about your cases," answered Felix, "so, am I in on this to? Going with Dr. Hood and Rachel Young to once more save innocent lives from some mad scientist scheme?"

"No Felix, Geppetto is far too dangerous, and we need someone on the inside of the FBI to be able to help us out," replied Rachel.

"But I'm your recon guy."

"And you've done wonderful agent Lee, but this time, we need you somewhere else," replied Rachel.

"Look at it this way Felix, you're going to be sneaking around the FBI trying to dig up information before someone finds out what you're doing, isn't that what the real power is in a war?" added Jacob.

"This is a war," asked Felix.

"Not yet," whispered Rachel under her breath.

"No, but when it's Geppetto it amounts to a two on two war most of the time," answered Jacob.

"If I'm there helping you you'll have an extra hand to help," reasoned Felix.

"Sorry Felix, but we need you on the inside of the FBI," replied Jacob, when he noticed that Rachel's attention had shifted to checking the area for anything out of the ordinary he quickly turned back to Felix and started whispering, "You're right Felix, Rachel and I are engaged, and one of Geppetto's operatives, a woman by the name of Calypso, shot Rachel through the chest, and although Rachel survived, the bullet killed our unborn daughter. Rachel would hate to see another person die because she ran head on into a fight, so for her sake please stay at the FBI and don't follow us."

"Okay Doc."

******************

"Nice work Felix, get yourself stuck in a desk job," said the bored and annoyed agent lee as he sat in his office waiting until everyone left which would be in about an hour. "Relax Felix, do it for agent Young, be strong," said Felix trying to calm himself down. Little did Felix know that he was now the only person in the building apart from four other people, the first three were guards that had only a few minutes ago been stealthily killed by the latter fourth, the latter had arrived before Felix had and had changed his clock so Felix would get the wrong reading.

Getting up from his desk Felix decided to take a walk to the bathroom as a cover-up to see if everyone had already decided to go an hour early. His cover-up was forgotten as he realized he was indeed the last person aside from the guards. Before he could begin walking again a thin yet strong cord was thrown over his head and pulled tight against his throat, it took only a matter of minutes before the no longer breathing agent fell to the floor.

The assassin had taken great cares to accomplish this plan, his next moves included placing the guard's bodies in a store room and placing false marks around the near offices to make it look like someone had killed the guards to gain information. The investigators would notice that the near office of agent Lee had recent info about where agent Young and Dr. Hood were, they would go to the vacated hotel room to discover agent Lee's body with bullets in it that were replica's of the bullets used by agent Young herself.

As the blond haired and well tanned assassin stepped into his car with the body he tapped an earphone at his ear, "It's me Geppetto, the phoenix project worked and my DNA will now belong to someone else, completely throwing the agents off my trail, I killed their contact and have made it look like the agents killed him their selves."

"Any trouble?"

"No."

"Continue with the plan…Lucifer."

End of part 2

A/N: I may have to add another part and make this a four or five part story, but I thought I'd end this part here just to leave you wondering: What is the Phoenix Project and how does it change your DNA? Well you'd actually end up with two different sets of DNA, but it tells you in part 1. And I've been working on the end of the final act in this storyline, yes it is tragic, I personally blame the Legend Of Spyro stories with Spyro and Cynder tragic romance because now I'm set on tragic romance mode. But the _Legend Of Spyro A New Beginning Trilogy_ is just such a great storyline and so I've consequently been looking all over for the _Eternal Night_ and _Dawn Of The Dragon_ games for _Gamecube_ or _PSP. _

I'd like to thank everyone who subscribed to my stories and those who reviewed so kindly! You've given me hope! So I'll tell you something! My name MaxDark did not inspire the main character in a book series I'm writing, the character inspired my name. Its about a 29 year old secret agent called Max Dark who's arch enemy is a Russian by the name of Sir Vladimir Script who literally has no emotion!


End file.
